Conventional container handling devices are known from the prior art. It is thus known that in the context of block plants, i.e., plants of which the drive units are synchronized with one another, pre-forms are first heated and are then expanded to form containers. After expansion of the pre-forms, these expanded containers are cleaned and are then filled with a liquid, such as, a drink or beverage.
WO 2000/078664, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes a filling device for bottles. In this case a blow-moulding machine for producing the bottles, a rinsing machine for cleaning the finished blow-moulded bottles and a filling machine for filling the bottles are capable of being driven in synchronism with one another, and the bottles are transferred between the machines with proper spacing by conveying elements engaging with positive locking.
WO 2006/097243 and US 2009/0071104, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, discloses a method and a device relating to the sterile filling of liquids. In one example, bottles are first sterilized with H2O2 and are then filled.
DE 10 2005 060 814, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a device and a method of blow-moulding containers. In one example, an inspection device for communicating information is connected to a blow-moulding device arranged downstream in the conveying direction of the containers, so that pre-forms recognized as being defective are not blow-moulded to form containers. In this way, containers specified here are recognized as being defective and at a later point in time the further handling of these containers is interrupted.
DE 102 59 589 and US 2004/159586, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, describes a method and a device for producing hollow bodies from plastic materials. In this case pre-forms are monitored before heating and at least some of the defective pre-forms are heated and are discarded only after the heating.
In such block unit components, i.e., in particular unit components synchronized with one another, the problem frequently arises, however, that an error is present in a unit component situated downstream, for example a valve is defective in a filling machine, and therefore a corresponding container cannot be correctly filled. In the case of plants from the prior art this leads to considerable wastage. Firstly the container in question is produced unnecessarily and sterilized unnecessarily. In addition, the contents to be bottled also frequently goes to waste, since, as mentioned, they were bottled erroneously.